Rescue arrangement

ABSTRACT

A rescue arrangement for effecting a rapid descent from a higher level to a lower level. The rescue arrangement comprises guiding means which substantially extend between the higher level and the lower level. Further it comprises carrying means which are connectable with the guiding means for carrying an object, in particular a person, from the higher level to the lower level via the guiding means. It also comprises first braking means located at the guiding means near the lower level for slowing down and/or stopping the carrying means near the lower level. The guiding means comprise at least two substantially parallel tracks, wherein the carrying means are adapted to be connected to at least two of the tracks.

The present invention relates to a rescue arrangement for effecting arapid descent from a higher level, more specifically from an elevatedstructure, to a lower level, the rescue arrangement comprising:

-   -   guiding means which substantially extend between the higher        level and the lower level,    -   carrying means which are connectable with the guiding means for        carrying an object, in particular a person, from the higher        level to the lower level via the guiding means,    -   first braking means located at the guiding means near the lower        level for slowing down and/or stopping the carrying means near        the lower level.

Such a rescue arrangement is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,787 whichdiscloses a system where a guiding means in the form of a secured wiredrope is hanging from a an elevated structure. The lower end of the wiredrope branches to at least two wired ropes. The branches are secured toreels which are widely separated from each other so that the branches ina tightened state form a pyramid. The reels are provided with brakingmeans to release the branches from the reels in a controlled manner. Aperson standing on the elevated structure can connect a carrying meanslike a harness to the wired rope by means of a clasp and jump from theelevated structure. When the clasp reaches the branches it will tensionthe branches and the branches will be released by the reels in acontrolled manner and the person in the harness is slowed down and canland at a safe speed on the ground.

A drawback of the known arrangement is that a person jumping from theelevated structure during his descent along the wired rope can rotateand swing with respect to the rope. These are uncontrolled movementswhich can for instance cause the person to hit the elevated structurewhich on its turn can cause injury. Also the uncontrolled movements cancause the descending person to get disorientated, which has a negativeeffect on the, in an emergency usually necessary, speed of action onarrival at the lower level.

An object of a first aspect of the invention is to provide a rescuearrangement which reduces the uncontrolled movements during the descent.

This object is reached by a rescue arrangement according to the preambleof claim 1, wherein the guiding means comprise at least twosubstantially parallel tracks, wherein the carrying means are adapted tobe connected to at least two of the tracks.

A person descending which is connected to at least two tracks isprevented from rotating and has a reduced freedom for a swingingmovement. Thereby the risk of hitting the elevated structure andconsequent injury and the disorientation of the descending person arereduced.

As guiding means are preferably used cables, which are secured to theelevated structure and at the lower level with securing means. It isalso possible to use solid or hollow rod or bar sections as guidingmeans instead of cables.

With the known rescue arrangement from U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,787 personshave to disconnect the carrying means from the guiding means themselveswhen they have arrived at the lower level. The tightened branches of thewired ropes are placed under a considerable tension, which makes itdifficult to release the carrying means. Further, people in an emergencysituation are usually stressed, which makes them unable to quicklyrelease the carrying means. This limits the amount of people that can berescued per time unit, since a second person cannot arrive at the lowerlevel before a first person is released and removed from the guidingmeans, and forms a drawback of the known arrangement.

An object of a second aspect of the invention is to provide an improvedrescue arrangement where the amount of people that can be rescued in acertain period of time is increased.

This object is reached by a rescue arrangement according to the preambleof claim 7, wherein the arrangement is adapted for automaticallyreleasing the carrying means from the guiding means at the lower level.In a preferred embodiment the rescue arrangement comprises release meansfor automatically releasing the carrying means from the guiding means.

By automatically releasing the carrying means from the guiding means thereleasing speed is not dependent on the descended person and is therebyincreased. As a result of this the amount of people that can be rescuedin a certain time is increased.

With the known rescue arrangement from U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,787 if adescended person in a carrying means is released, he has to get out ofthe way so that a following person can arrive at the lower level.However, people tend to be confused, stressed and disorientated after aguided free fall from a great height. This can negatively influencetheir ability to move away from the guiding means and can thereforenegatively influence the number of people that can descend per timeunit.

An object of a third aspect of the invention is to provide an improvedrescue arrangement where the amount of people that can be rescued in acertain period of time is increased.

This can be achieved by a rescue arrangement according to the preambleof claim 11, wherein the arrangement comprises means for moving theobject, in particular the person, away automatically from the guidingmeans after the carrying means have been released from the guiding meansor the object has been released from the carrying means.

Hereby a descended person is moved out of the way automatically withoutbeing dependent on actions of the person. This means that in general thespeed of removing the person away from the guiding means is increased,which increases the amount of people that can descend in a certainperiod of time.

With the known arrangement from U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,787 during brakingof a descending person the branches are released from reels in acontrolled manner through the use of the braking means provided on thereels. A drawback of this known design is that the branches have to bereeled back on the reels after the descended person is released beforeanother person can descend. This reeling up of the branches is timeconsuming and will lead to a low capacity in terms of descending/rescuedpeople per time unit.

An object of a fourth aspect of the invention is to provide an improvedrescue arrangement where the amount of people that can be rescued in acertain period of time is increased.

This is achieved by a rescue arrangement according to the preamble ofclaim 12, wherein the first braking means comprise magnetic means forexerting a braking force on the carrying means.

Magnetic breaking means are known from other fields and are proventechnology for slowing down objects. Applying magnetic breaking means inthe rescue arrangement has the advantage that a breaking means isprovided which is continuously working and can brake high numbers ofobjects in a short period of time. This implies that the capacity of therescue arrangement is not limited by the breaking means. As an exampleof a breaking means can be thought of a magnetic brake which induces amagnetic field by a passing magnetic object.

It will be understood that the mentioned four aspects of the inventioncan be combined.

Further details of the invention will become clear from the followingdescription with reference to the acompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of the arrangement according to theinvention,

FIG. 2 shows a schematic front view of the arrangement from FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 shows a detail of a preferred embodiment of the arrangement atthe lower level.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 an elevated structure 1 is shown. This can be a skyscraper or another structure. In case of an emergency, cables 2 can belet down to the ground level 4 from an overhanging structure 3. Theoverhanging structure 3 is placed on and secured to the elevatedstructure 1, for instance at the roof.

The cables are arranged substantially parallel. At the high level thecables 2 are secured to the overhanging structure 3. At the ground levelthe cables 2 are secured by securing means 6. This can be for instancereels to which the cables are reeled. In order to tension the cables,the reels can be used as tensioning means. Tensioning of the cables canhowever also take place by other means.

At the overhanging structure 3 is provided a platform 5. A personstanding on the platform 5 has to wear a harness 7 or another carryingmeans. To make sure that a person on the platform is wearing a harness 7it is favourable that there is a storage 15 for harnesses 7 near therescue arrangement, for instance on the roof of the structure. Further,it is possible to provide a preconnecting section 16 where a harness 7can be connected to the cables so that it is certain that a person whosteps on the platform 5 is already coupled to the cables 2.

The harness 7 is provided with straps 8 which have at their free endmeans 9 that can be coupled to the cables 2 and which can be moved alongthe cables in a guided way. The means 9 can be provided with rings whichcan be clipped around the cables 2, but the means 9 can also be providedwith wheels which can roll along the cables 2. The means 9 arepreferably provided with a magnetic or magnetizable parts (not shown)for a reason which will become clear hereinafter.

The person wearing a harness 7 can attach the means 9 to the cables 2 inthe preconnecting section 16, move on to the platform 5 and jump fromthe platform 5. The means slide or roll along the cables 2 duringdescent, which results in a guided fall from the elevated structure 1 tothe ground level 4. Since the harness 7 is attached to two substantiallyparallel cables 2, the person and the harness 7 will remain between thecables 2 during descent and the freedom of movement is limited.

Near the ground level 4 there are provided first braking means 10 forslowing down and/or stopping the harness 7. Preferably the first brakingmeans 10 comprise magnetic means for exerting a magnetic force on themagnetic or magnetizable parts of the means 9. The magnetic ormagnetizable parts from the means 9 can comprise a metal plate. However,the first braking means 10 do not necessarily have to exert a magneticlyinduced force, but can also be designed to exert a mechanical orhydraulic force to the carrying means.

It is possible to provide second braking means (not shown) between thehigher level and the first braking means. The carrying means and theperson in it are then slowed down intermediately, which can befavourable, especially in case of a descent from a great height, becausethe carrying means near the ground level does not at once have to bedecelerated from a very high speed, which causes the person toexperience high deceleration forces. Also the second braking meanscomprise magnetic means for exerting a braking force on the carryingmeans.

In the figures the first braking means 10 and the securing means 6 areprovided on a unit 11 which is placed on the ground level 4. The unit 11can for instance be provided with release means (not shown) forautomatically releasing the means 9 of the harness 7 and the person init from the cables 2 at the ground level. Also, in the unit 11 means(not shown) for moving a descended person with the harness 7 away fromthe cables 2 after the means 9 are released from the cables 2 by therelease means. The means for moving a descended person away can forexample be a conveyor belt type means, which turns constantly and movesthe person landing on it directly away.

It is possible to secure the guiding means at the lower level in such away, that they form a sort of open end, where the means 9 slide off theguiding means automatically. In this way a very simple and effective wayto automatically release a carrying means from the guiding means isprovided.

In FIG. 3 a detail of a preferred embodiment is shown of the arrangementat the lower level, for instance on a unit 11. FIG. 3 shows the cables 2which are connected to braking means 10. The braking means 10 aresecured by securing means 17, which can also be used to tension thecables 2. Between the cables 2 a chute 18 is placed. The descendedpeople that are released, slide further down along the chute 18 and outof the way of the landing spot.

The unit 11 can be placed near a high strucure permanently as a standalone unit as is shown in the figures. The unit can also be placed onand secured to a fire truck, which has the advantage that it can be usedfor more than one building, because it can be transported to a structurewhere an emergency occurs.

Also the whole rescue arrangement according to the invention can be amobile arrangement which can for instance on a fire truck be transportedto an emergency site. It is also possible that the arrangement is placedat a building in a permanent manner.

1-19. (canceled)
 20. A rescue arrangement for effecting a rapid descentfrom a higher level to a lower level, the rescue arrangement comprising:guiding means which substantially extend between the higher level andthe lower level, carrying means which are connectable with the guidingmeans for carrying an object from the higher level to the lower levelvia the guiding means, first braking means located at the guiding meansnear the lower level for slowing down and/or stopping the carrying meansnear the lower level, wherein the guiding means comprise at least twosubstantially parallel tracks, wherein the carrying means are adapted tobe connected to at least two of the tracks.
 21. Rescue arrangementaccording to claim 20, wherein the parallel tracks are formed by cableswhich are secured at the higher level and at the lower level.
 22. Rescuearrangement according to claim 20, wherein the parallel tracks areformed by rods or bars which are secured at the higher level and at thelower level.
 23. Rescue arrangement according to claim 20, wherein thearrangement further is adapted for automatically releasing the carryingmeans from the guiding means at the lower level.
 24. Rescue arrangementaccording to claim 23, further comprising release means forautomatically releasing the carrying means from the guiding means at thelower level.
 25. Rescue arrangement according to claim 20, furthercomprising means for moving the object away from the guiding means afterthe carrying means have been released from the guiding means or theobject has been released from the carrying means.
 26. Rescue arrangementaccording to claim 20, wherein the first braking means comprise magneticmeans for exerting a braking force on the carrying means.
 27. A rescuearrangement for effecting a rapid descent from a higher level to a lowerlevel, the rescue arrangement comprising: guiding means whichsubstantially extend between the higher level and the lower level,carrying means which are connectable with the guiding means for carryingan object from the higher level to the lower level via the guidingmeans, first braking means located at the guiding means near the lowerlevel for slowing down and/or stopping the carrying means near the lowerlevel, wherein the arrangement is adapted for automatically releasingthe carrying means from the guiding means at the lower level.
 28. Rescuearrangement according to claim 27, further comprising release means forautomatically releasing the carrying means from the guiding means at thelower level.
 29. Rescue arrangement according to claim 27, furthercomprising means for moving the object away automatically from theguiding means after the carrying means have been released from theguiding means or the object has been released from the carrying means.30. Rescue arrangement according to claim 27, wherein the first brakingmeans comprise magnetic means for exerting a braking force on thecarrying means.
 31. Rescue arrangement for effecting a rapid descentfrom a higher level, to a lower level, the rescue arrangementcomprising: guiding means which substantially extend between the higherlevel and the lower level, carrying means which are connectable with theguiding means for carrying an object from the higher level to the lowerlevel via the guiding means, first braking means located at the guidingmeans near the lower level for slowing down and/or stopping the carryingmeans near the lower level, wherein the arrangement comprises means formoving the object away automatically from the guiding means after thecarrying means have been released from the guiding means or the objectis released from the carrying means.
 32. Rescue arrangement foreffecting a rapid descent from a higher level to a lower level, therescue arrangement comprising: guiding means which substantially extendbetween the higher level and the lower level, carrying means which areconnectable with the guiding means for carrying an object from thehigher level to the lower level via the guiding means, first brakingmeans located at the guiding means near the lower level for slowing downand/or stopping the carrying means near the lower level, wherein thefirst braking means comprise magnetic means for exerting a braking forceon the carrying means.
 33. Rescue arrangement according to 32, whereinsecond braking means are provided between the higher level and the firstbraking means.
 34. Rescue arrangement according to claim 33, wherein thesecond braking means comprise magnetic means for exerting a brakingforce on the carrying means.
 35. Rescue arrangement according to claim20, wherein the guiding means at the lower level are secured to a firetruck.
 36. Rescue arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the firstbraking means are provided on a fire truck.
 37. Rescue arrangementaccording to claim 21, wherein the arrangement comprises tensioningmeans for tensioning the cables.
 38. Rescue arrangement according toclaim 37, wherein the tensioning means are provided on a fire truck. 39.Rescue arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the carrying meanscomprise a harness which is adapted to carry a person.